I've been really trying to finish a blog post I started about our last visit to foreign shores, namely Lassi on the Greek island of Kefalonia. We visited there back in September 2020! I don't know if it was the mental implications of the pandemic or the fact that Covid-19 had robbed not only this island, but many more holiday resorts across the world, of a great number of avid tourists, it just lacked the sparkle we were expecting. A taxi driver in Lassi told us that the numbers of travellers to Kefalonia was down by around 90%, a fact that was noticeable by the number of hotels, restaurants and bars that had remained closed during our stay. It was enjoyable, though, with sunshine on our backs, the locals showing excellent hospitality towards their guests, and, on the beer front, finding a few reasonable brews that were not just Greek Euro-lagers. I won't mention the earthquake we felt on one evening, which was like a train rumbling past our apartment, or Medicane Ionas (a rare Mediterranean cyclone with torrential rain and winds gusts of 99 mph) which kept us bunkered down in our temporary home for nearly 36 hours. On the whole, the experience was nice but tinged with a touch of guilt that we were able to escape in such dire circumstances, alongside the strange feelings that the near emptiness of most venues can have on you.
Last year, as more coronavirus uncertainties, lockdowns and travel restrictions were foisted upon us, we decided early on to jettison any aspirations of an international vacation, and we decided to stay here in the UK and sample a little more of the domestic warm-heartedness that we often hear about. We made a list of were we would like to visit, or re-visit and trusted to the railway companies to get us there. I hope that I can share some of our experiences with you. In the first part, I will cover our trips to Chester, in June, and Lincoln in August. I hope you enjoy it.
Chester.
Our first breakaway , which should have coincided with the easing of restrictions, was in June, to the fine historical city of Chester. Although the Covid restrictions, including check-ins at venues and table service only, were to be kept mostly in place for another few weeks, we did have sufficient wriggle room to allow us to go and try to have a good time. Arriving mid afternoon, we headed for our first port of call in the city, which was conveniently situated directly across from the railway station, The Town Crier. Part of the Stonegate pubs estate, this is a large, but quite friendly, hostelry, nicely decorated and serving real ale. There were two beers on during our visit and, whilst Jane plumped for a cider, I quickly decided upon Town Crier Ale, the house PaleAle, 4% brewed by
Mobberley Brewhouse. No surprises really, it was solid enough, and very welcome after our trip. Next on the agenda, as we made
our way to our hotel, was a visit to Old Harker's Arms, a big and formidable old warehouse nestled alongside the canal. After a few minutes, we were shown to our table, and took a moment or two to survey the reasonable display of cask beers on tap. The pub has up to 9 real ales on the hand-pulls, and after another side order of cider for the wife, I eventually went for Wild Horse Brewing Co Nokota, a fruity session IPA of 3.8%. We sensed that this was probably more of a food establishment at this time of the day, and, as we were taking up a large table, we decided to move on after our drinks, although we were not pressured to do so by the staff. Next up, and our last stop before the hotel, was The Cornerhouse. This quite cosy L-shaped bar, located in a mock Tudor building offers 4 cask beers alongside quite a surprisingly good range of craft ales in cans and bottles. As it was to be our last stop of the afternoon, I had two of the cask beers in here. Firstly Merlin Brewing Co Castle Black Stout, 4.4%, which had a roasted malt and slight fruit character with a nice bittersweet finish. This was followed by a Mobberley Single Hop Pale Ale-Chinook, a light, refreshingly bitter pale ale.
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| The Old Harker's Arms |
our way to our hotel, was a visit to Old Harker's Arms, a big and formidable old warehouse nestled alongside the canal. After a few minutes, we were shown to our table, and took a moment or two to survey the reasonable display of cask beers on tap. The pub has up to 9 real ales on the hand-pulls, and after another side order of cider for the wife, I eventually went for Wild Horse Brewing Co Nokota, a fruity session IPA of 3.8%. We sensed that this was probably more of a food establishment at this time of the day, and, as we were taking up a large table, we decided to move on after our drinks, although we were not pressured to do so by the staff. Next up, and our last stop before the hotel, was The Cornerhouse. This quite cosy L-shaped bar, located in a mock Tudor building offers 4 cask beers alongside quite a surprisingly good range of craft ales in cans and bottles. As it was to be our last stop of the afternoon, I had two of the cask beers in here. Firstly Merlin Brewing Co Castle Black Stout, 4.4%, which had a roasted malt and slight fruit character with a nice bittersweet finish. This was followed by a Mobberley Single Hop Pale Ale-Chinook, a light, refreshingly bitter pale ale.
We bade farewell and headed to our base for the next three nights, checked in and, after a quick freshen up, we were out to explore the Bridge St area of the city. The first pub of the evening, a mere 10 minute walk away, and just over the old River Dee bridge, was The Ship Inn. This was more of a restaurant but they did allow us a table for a while and luckily they had a couple of cask beers on, although that number is increased when in "normal".times. Thwaites IPA, 4% was my drink in here, which was fruity, with a sweet citrus edge and a good hoppy backtaste. We walked back over the bridge after our drinks, hoping to drop into The Bear & Billet but, unfortunately, due to the circumstances forced upon by the pandemic, it had remained closed, whilst the neighbouring The Cross Keys Inn, it appeared, was only open on reduced hours. A real shame, but I believe both venues have now returned to normal service. We did have another pub firmly pencilled onto the list, and this one, The Brewery Tap, was
most definitely still open. The beers on offer are mainly from the Spitting Feathers Brewery, and are available to buy by the 3 glass flight, which is very handy when you're "beer ticking". Jane had swapped to G & T's by this point, so I ordered my first selection. Spitting Feathers Wavertonian Stout, 4.4%, a nice roast and choco-coffee brew, Spitting Feathers Empire IPA, 5.2%, a big hop fuelled beer with a nice drying finish, and the 3.9% Thirst Quencher, from the same brewer which did exactly what it's name stated on the pump clip. My next flight, all from the same brewery, were Honey Trap, 4.1%, alongside Session Beer, weighing in at 3.6% and Special Ale, an English Bitter of 4.2%. All were pretty solid and well received by my good self. My final drink in here was Twisted Wheel Brew Co Hoodoo Voodoo, a 6.5% IPA. This one had a good fruity back before a long resinous finish. All in all, these were all good beers covering a reasonable range of styles and in the very elegant and sympathetically restored surroundings of a 17th century great hall. By now, we were getting a little peckish and decided to grab one last pint (and, of course, a large G & T) before seeking out a takeaway and heading back to our hotel. We dropped into Ye Olde Kings Head where I finished off with a pint of Facer's Clwyd Gold, 3.5%, a Ruby Red Ale that displayed a big and robust malt backbone.
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| Spitting Feathers at The Brewery Tap. |
most definitely still open. The beers on offer are mainly from the Spitting Feathers Brewery, and are available to buy by the 3 glass flight, which is very handy when you're "beer ticking". Jane had swapped to G & T's by this point, so I ordered my first selection. Spitting Feathers Wavertonian Stout, 4.4%, a nice roast and choco-coffee brew, Spitting Feathers Empire IPA, 5.2%, a big hop fuelled beer with a nice drying finish, and the 3.9% Thirst Quencher, from the same brewer which did exactly what it's name stated on the pump clip. My next flight, all from the same brewery, were Honey Trap, 4.1%, alongside Session Beer, weighing in at 3.6% and Special Ale, an English Bitter of 4.2%. All were pretty solid and well received by my good self. My final drink in here was Twisted Wheel Brew Co Hoodoo Voodoo, a 6.5% IPA. This one had a good fruity back before a long resinous finish. All in all, these were all good beers covering a reasonable range of styles and in the very elegant and sympathetically restored surroundings of a 17th century great hall. By now, we were getting a little peckish and decided to grab one last pint (and, of course, a large G & T) before seeking out a takeaway and heading back to our hotel. We dropped into Ye Olde Kings Head where I finished off with a pint of Facer's Clwyd Gold, 3.5%, a Ruby Red Ale that displayed a big and robust malt backbone.
It was then time for a bit of nosh before retiring, and planning for the next day's visits.
The following day we decided to have a stroll around the city, taking in the City Walls, Chester Racecourse, Cathedral area and the banks of the River Dee. This allowed us not only to fully stretch our legs, but also blow a few cobwebs off from the previous evening's dalliances. Afterwards, coffee and lunch was taken before striding out again around the pubs. Our hotel was quite close to The Rows, the historic first floor shopping galleries in the city centre. Hidden within this medieval maze was a craft beer bar, which boasted a good selection of Belgian, and UK, craft ales, The Cavern of the Curious Gnome. We tried to find the entrance but, sadly, couldn't. We asked the locals were the way in was but they couldn't help us. This would not be the last time we tried to find a way in. It would remain curious for the length of our stay. We had also intended to go to Telford's Warehouse, a well reviewed hostelry along the canal, but this was thwarted by an outbreak of covid-19 amongst the staff, so we were told. This wasn't an isolated case, there were a few bars and restaurants having to rethink strategies due to the prevailing virus problems. So, we headed to The Lock Keeper instead. It was nice to watch the boats on the canal toing and froing, and with a decent pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord in hand. We had a couple in here before moving on to the Chester Taphouse and Kitchen. Two flights, and a couple of ciders for the wife, were devoured, and, to be fair, all the beers were reasonably good. The beers sampled were all from the onsite microbrewery and were as follows:-
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| Chester Brewhouse and Kitchen. |
Chester Brewhouse & Kitchen (CBK) Golden Boy,Blonde Ale 4%, grainy and slightly earthy.
CBK Delaware, Pale 4.8% Sweet fruity start with caramel and a slight bitter finish.
CBK Forest House Best Bitter, 3.6%, a big malty brew with toffee and a syrupy mouthfeel.
CBK Deva Viltrix American IPA, 4.4%, Stone fruits in the fore with a sweetly bitter finish.
CBK Caracala Porter, 5.6%, light nuttiness over berries with coffee in the background
CBK Sunset Curfew IPA, 5.5%, really light fruit in the main and some pine resin in the finish.
One thing I must mention about this venue, the bar staff, especially the young lady who waited on us,were fantastically friendly, informative and knowledgeable. Thank you for your time and patience.
As this was a holiday, the Better 'Alf decided she wanted to reconoiter the local retailers, whilst I, after a bit of reconnaissance of my own, settled into a Samuel Smith's pub within the Chester Rows, The Old Boot. Although a friendly boozer, because of the brewery's zero tolerance on social media, I found myself slightly like a naughty schoolchild as I tried to send and receive text messages from the wife. The end result was a quick supping up of my very average Samuel Smith's Nitro Keg Extra Stout, and a rather quick exit to back the 21st century!!
Reunited, we made our way to Ye Olde Custom House, and a quite welcome pint of Wainwrights Golden Ale, alongside another cider for The Boss. Our last drinks out in the city, at least for this day, were at Chester Bar Lounge. Whilst I opted for the house IPA, of which I knew little of in way of brewery or ABV, Jane went for a a vivid green thing that, to be honest, tasted quite passable, even for a dedicated beer drinker. The strange concoction was called A Dill-igent Lady, and had a big splosh of gin in it and some dill. In a very controlled tasting, I found it not bad, but beyond that, I'm not sure.
As that night was a big England football evening, and the national team were to meet the Czech Republic in the 2020 Euro Championships, we decided to stay in the hotel and not risk the rules on close contact by visiting one of the sports bars, especially as the virus seemed to be growing again in this neck of the woods. Tomorrow would definitely be another day.
Our last full day in Chester started with another walk around the walls before adjourning to another local beer outlet. This one was a small bar and bistro known as Moules A Go-Go. Although mainly a food establishment, it does carry one cask ale, usually, I was told, from the Weetwood Brewery. The beer on offer on our visit was Weetwood Best Bitter, 3.8% which seemed a little flat and hazy to me, and a little lacking in taste, but was still drinkable. A walk back towards the shopping area was next, dropping in at The Music Hall Tap. Craft beers, International Lager and cocktails are the base drinks here, and cask ales are not available at all. Never mind, they had Aspall's Cider and I decided on an opening pint of Beavertown Gamma Ray, 5.4%, before moving on to the fruity and sour Thornbridge I Love You Will U Marry Me, 4.5%. With Jane now away to the shops I decided to decamp to the nearby Chester Indoor Market, or rather That Beer Place, a beer stall and bar within the building. The list of bottles and cans for takeaway is immense, but you can also drink in, and it boasts 8 taps as well. I picked up 3 different beers to take home as well as a pint of Fallen Acorn Sith Faced Oatmeal Stout, 5.8%
. Unfortunately, on my visit, the stall was closing early, so I could only stay for the one drink before moving on to my next port of call, The Pied Bull. This is not only a top class hotel, restaurant and pub of some repute, it is also the home to the only microbrewery within Chester's city
walls. My opening pint in here was Pied Bull Pied Eyed, an English Bitter of 4% with some berry notes, plenty of caramel and a rising end bitterness. The Shopper joined me in here for our last beer/cider of the afternoon, which was nice, and I went for the another pub brewed Bitter, Sensibull, a 3.8% beer with a more resinous backing than the previous brew. Both were very solid, and really enjoyable.
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| The bar in the Pied Bull |
walls. My opening pint in here was Pied Bull Pied Eyed, an English Bitter of 4% with some berry notes, plenty of caramel and a rising end bitterness. The Shopper joined me in here for our last beer/cider of the afternoon, which was nice, and I went for the another pub brewed Bitter, Sensibull, a 3.8% beer with a more resinous backing than the previous brew. Both were very solid, and really enjoyable.
For the evening, we had decided on visiting the Deva Tap, a highly reviewed and top rated boozer just near the station. Our visit, though, left a bit to be desired. We were left waiting at the entrance quite a while, eventually shown to a table underneath a TV, which was almost deafening and, after a couple of requests to the staff, was eventually turned down. Table service was very slow in our area of the venue, but seemed more regular elsewhere in the bar, but when we eventually managed to get an order in, it was fetched to us quite quickly. We had a pizza in here which we thought was very good, washed down with a cider and Seven Brothers Juicy IPA, 6%, which was solid enough with plenty of tropical fruitiness at the fore. We decided to leave straight after our food and drinks, service, or lack of it, was our main concern, which was a shame as the beer board contained a good and varied selection. We did drop into the City Tavern on the way back to the hotel and although the beer offering wasn't great, the service was good, the welcome friendly and my pint of Brains Rev. James Bitter 4.5%, with a nice malty body and a refreshingly crisp finish. We wandered back to the hotel for one last time, as the following day we were checking out and catching the train back to Grimsby.
On our walk back to the station the following day, we popped into a small cafe near The Rows where I had a last beer in the city, a 5% Pilsner from Wrexham Brewing Co, Bootlegger 1974, a reasonably light lager with a deceptive bite in the finish, which was quite welcome on such a warm late morning. We sat and reflected on our visit. It had been good to get out again, but with so many bars either closed or still not open fully, it left a slightly negativity to our trip. Would we come back? Yes, but it wouldn't be in a hurry, I'm afraid, or maybe not for a full 3 night stay.
Lincoln-Revisited
With things a little easier on the regulatory front, regarding the pandemic, Jane, and I, along with our friends, Dee & Steve, felt confident enough to take the short train ride to Lincoln for a couple of nights. Lincoln has always pleased me on the pub front. Traditional real ale and the growing craft keg seem to sit cheek by jowl across the main areas, with the swanky cocktail scene offering taking the middle ground. Most places I have visited before, and documented on this blog (Here) , (Also here) (and here) , but there always seems to be another bar that has appeared on the horizon, or an existing bar that as either changed its name or re-branded the drinks menu, so we were all looking forward to our experience. The first port of call for us, after getting off our chosen mode of transport, was The Treaty of Commerce, which was good pub to start out on our expedition. Bateman's beers on tap, all in good order, and, as always, a friendly welcome. I opted for Bateman's Gold, 3.9%, whilst Steve and Dee sampled the XB Pale Ale, Bateman's 3.7% Pale Ale. Both drinks were as they should be, spot on. (The cider was ok too, apparently). The Cosy Club was our next bar, just off the High Street and another visited previously. I had two drinks in here, a lovely smooth and moreish Milk Stout of 4.6% from The Bristol Beer Factory, followed by the crisp and sharp Brewdog Elvis Juice bottled Grapefruit IPA, 6.5%. Both were very nice. Next was the first of the new bars to me, The Botanist. More of a cocktail and eatery than a pub, this bar still has a few craft ales on offer. Again I savoured two brews on offer here, starting with the 2.5% peach flavoured Lindemans Pecheresse, what more can you say about this excellent Lambic, and followed by Magic Rock Murk Life Balance, a lovely, fruity Hazy Pale Ale of 5%.
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| Big Paddles in the Tiny Tavern. |
It was now approaching late afternoon, so we decided on one more bar before checking in at our hotel, and we headed for another bar we hadn't been to before, The Tiny Tavern. Not the biggest bar in the world, but quite friendly (unless you are a proud Grimsby Town Supporter in a Lincoln City heartland...). This is a pub that is a magnet for beer enthusiasts, and I mean enthusiasts!!The beer selection is good, and paddles are available to allow you to sample 3 beers of the selection on offer. We ordered ordered 2 paddles between us, plus a half each for our wonderfully supportive wives. Steve and I did sample each other's drinks, so I'll tell which beers were on which paddle, and our brief thoughts.
Paddle 1
Wilde Childe Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz, Pale Ale, 3.99% Light, some subtle fruitiness with a floral finish.
Wilde Childe Tsar Bomba Russian Imperial Stout, 9%. Big, boozy but also very easy to drink.
King's Clipstone Brewery Squire's Desire, 4.5% Bitter. Lovely malt, toffee & caramel drive this one.
Paddle 2
Pheasantry Dark Ale, 4.2% Smooth malt with a soft bitter-sweetness at the back.
Pheasantry Dancing Dragonfly, Golden Ale, 5%. Refreshing with fruit and citrus notes.
Heritage Brewing Cliffhanger, Golden Ale, 4.8% Rather bland and plain, but still drinkable.
What an end to a satisfying afternoon. We would regroup in another couple of hours, and try to do it all again.
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| The Cardinal's Hat-full of beers. |
Early evening saw us stepping back out and making our way towards the area around the Cathedral, "up the bail", but our first stop would be The Cardinal's Hat at the bottom of the lung busting hill facing us. Another must visit venue, and again, we opted for two paddles. This time, though, by the time Steve had sat down with his, he'd already forgotten what he had ordered! My paddle consisted of 4 excellent cask ales. This is what I made of them. Zest Brewery Off The Radar, Dark Ale, 4.6%, lightly smokey with burnt toffee, Britt Brewery Working Mon's Dark, 5%, a subtle choco-coffee mix which is very smooth. Salopian Lemon Dream, 4.5%. Speaks for itself, really. Like a Radler. Animal XT Firefly. Golden Ale, 4.6%. Oaty with balanced bitterness at the back. After these we slowly made our way up Steep Hill and to the next venue, Bearheadz. Another bar I love to visit. They only have one guest cask ale on, but the keg beers are plentiful. In here my first drink was keg Pohjala Kosmos, a lovely 5.5% IPA. My next drink was another keg beer, a superbly smooth DIPA of 8.2% with a kick at the back, Abbeydale Double Deception. Steve doubled up on Brass Castle Sunshine, a 5.7% West Coast IPA, followed by Utopian Other World, Rich Ruby ESB, 5.4%. Very nice. Next, we headed for another cocktail bar, Citadel, that has a lovely roof terrace, and which also had a couple of craft ales on too. As the ladies settled into cocktails, Steve and I went for the Beavertown Gamma Ray. By now we were getting a little full of alcohol, but also a bit peckish, so we decided on one last beer before trying to get some food. The beer was Horncastle Ales Lucifer's Desire, 4.8%, Golden Ale, the venue was the Strugglers Arms. Because of the restrictions on numbers indoors, we couldn't book into our chosen Indian restaurant, so we would have to make alternative arrangements. Oh, well.
The following day we decided to have a wander round some of the pubs away from the tourist heart of the city. But first we started with a walk long walk, taking in Brayford Pool, sourcing some breakfast at The Square Sail and also ticking off some of the Lincoln Imp art installations that were dotted all around.We eventually made our way out to The Morning Star and had our first drinks of the day. Timothy Taylor' Boltmaker and Pheasantry Dancing Dragonfly, (and, of course, the ubiquitous offering of cider,) were the choices between us, and were all in top condition. Another stroll, this time up to the area around the City Arboretum was followed by a visit to The Adam & Eve, a lovely old boozer under the Greene King stewardship. The beer we had in here was Castle Rock Harvest Rock Blonde Ale, a beautifully crisp brew of 3.8%. Next up was The Dog & Bone. This Bateman's pub, tucked away down John Street, is a real gem, as are the couple who run it. The beers are well looked after and our Bateman's XB and the Triple XB (XXXB) went down very well, especially when sat in the sun in the beer garden.
We also dropped into The Birdcage for a quick pint, (Azzaca Gold from Milestones Brewery was my choice and very enjoyable) and The Jolly Brewer (Welbeck Henrietta) before heading back towards the city centre and a bit of food at Huckleberry's Bar and Grill ( formerly Ye Olde Crown Inn) I think this bar usually carries at least one cask ale, but on our visit none were on. There were a few craft beers available though, and the one I chose was Guinness West Indies Porter, which went down very well with a Beef Slider, and sweet potato chips. It was, though, soon time to getting back to our hotel, and getting ourselves ready for the evening. We had booked into the Indian restaurant we'd missed out on previously, so would only be visiting a couple of bars on the way up to the castle area. We stepped out around 7 pm and headed to the first bar of the evening, The Horse and Groom. The beers on offer on our visit included Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Ferry Ales Mosquito, so we sampled them both, and we weren't disappointed in either of them. Leaving here, we decided on a visit to The Dandy Lion, another bar that didn't have any cask ales on during our visit. It did have draft Beavertown Neck Oil available though, so we lubricated ourselves with this. Suitably refreshed, we dragged ourselves up the hill and round to Castle View Indian restaurant, where we enjoyed a fabulous meal and a few glasses of Lal Toofan, with a great view of, oh, well, you can guess! We also managed a nightcap in the neighbouring Victoria before waddling back to down to our hotel.
Our last day was rather easy, check out, grab some late breakfast and wandering not too far, because we had a train to catch later that afternoon, and our luggage. The girls wanted to do a spot of shopping, or maybe just escape us, for a couple of hours, so Steve and I had a wander around before dropping into The Curiosity Shop, situated at the bottom of The Strait, which allows you to people watch as the myriad of visitors and locals alike prepare themselves for the imminent hill climb. Innis and Gunn Session IPA, 4.2% was Steve's choice I here, whilst I opted for the 5.5% Defender IPA from
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| Defender from the Myriad. |
Jane and I had already got a few more trips lined up for September. The first one would see us heading to Edinburgh, and I will tell you more about that in my next blogpost.
Until then Cheers, and keep it real.
